Five days passed.
From morning onward, the whole sea was focused on the places with the live-streaming Den Den Mushi.
Because today was the day Fire Fist Ace would be publicly executed!
Now, everyone on the sea wanted to know if Fire Fist Ace, the second division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the strongest man in the world, would lead his crew to invade Marine Headquarters to rescue Ace.
The war between the Four Emperors and Marine Headquarters, two great powers on the sea, seemed unavoidable.
No matter who wins or loses, everyone knew that this incident would have a deep impact on the entire sea.
————
"Ryuen, when are we leaving?" Sugar said impatiently.
Impel Down, the prison that held her old comrades, she really wanted to know what had happened to them.
"Why the rush?"
"Blackbeard is still at Marine Headquarters. We'll leave after he heads to Impel Down," Ryuen said while eating a hearty breakfast.
"Are the Marines' elites and the Shichibukai already gathered at Marine Headquarters?" Robin asked softly.
"Yeah~"
"They're still in a meeting, probably discussing ways to deal with Whitebeard," Nami said, looking at the information in her hands.
"Ways?" Hogg seemed confused.
"Yeah, Marine seems to want to use a strategy to seriously injure Whitebeard first. That would give them a better chance of winning," Nami casually said.
---
"That really fits Sengoku's style," Daisy said while shoveling food into her mouth.
...
"Our target this time is probably just Big Bear, right?" Leah asked.
"Yeah."
"We won't get involved in their war. After it's over, we'll just take Big Bear," Ryuen replied softly.
"But... I really didn't expect Sabo to still be alive. Ryuen, how did you find out about this?" Daisy asked, a bit confused.
"Well... I found the Revolutionary Army's headquarters. I was originally looking for Dragon, but I ended up finding Sabo there," Ryuen casually said.
"Rayleigh and Sabo—these are enemies the Marines didn't expect. I'm curious, who will win in the end?" Kuina said calmly.
"Robin, are you not going?" Nami turned to look at Robin.
"I won't go. Right now, we don't have an official World Government identity. If I appear at Marine Headquarters, it could cause trouble. Reina and I will wait for you here," Robin said gently, patting Reina's little head.
"Alright then. Anyway, I don't think Sengoku would dare make a move against us, but even if he does, we're not scared," Nami said confidently.
————
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates had been waiting for almost two days, but the Gate of Justice still hadn't opened.
What they didn't know was that Sengoku had ordered the gate to remain closed for the past few days to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates from entering. The gate could only be opened during executions.
Outside Impel Down, several naval ships were waiting by the Gate of Justice, ready to send the pirates they had captured into Impel Down once the gate opened.
Underwater...
There were quite a few Sea Kings around, but luckily Rayleigh was with them. He used his Conqueror's Haki to intimidate the Sea Kings nearby.
Otherwise, they might have been swallowed by the fish.
"Sabo, why isn't the gate opening?" Luffy asked anxiously.
"Don't rush, Luffy. I guess the Marines must have given some orders. The Gate of Justice can't open just like that at a critical time," Sabo said in a deep voice.
Though he was also anxious, as the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, he clearly knew more than the others.
Now that the gate was acting strangely, he could more or less guess why, but today was the day of Ace's execution!
The urgency of the situation was making everyone on the ship impatient...
Suddenly, there was a noise from below the sea. The Thousand Sunny shook, and the Gate of Justice finally opened!
"The gate opened? Franky, the gate's open!" Luffy yelled excitedly.
"Got it!" Franky responded, getting ready.
They planned to use wind-powered propulsion to quickly pass through the Gate of Justice!
...
On the sea...
The Gate of Justice was open. Four naval ships were preparing to enter, and one was about to leave.
"Wind-powered blast!"
As Franky activated the wind-powered blast, the Thousand Sunny shot through the small gap in the Gate of Justice!
In just a little over 200 meters, the Thousand Sunny stopped, but that was enough!
"Quick!"
"Hurry, cover yourselves in coral bubbles and rise to the surface!" Kuro immediately ordered.
Soon, everyone except Franky and Usopp were ready. Without hesitation, they dove out of the coating and swam toward the surface.
At that moment, on the surface...
A naval ship was the first to sail out of the Gate of Justice. The five naval ships outside all had their Marines on deck, watching the ship leave.
They all knew that the ship was carrying the Whitebeard Pirates' second division captain, Fire Fist Ace!
Once the ship was far enough, the five naval ships finally began to enter the Gate of Justice.
After six warships passed through, the Gates of Justice closed once again!
It was only then that Rayleigh and the rescue team finally surfaced.
…
Sabaody Archipelago.
Island #1 was packed with people, all staring at a giant holographic screen in the sky, which had yet to display any images.
Everyone was waiting for a major event to unfold!
Island #70.
The members of the Dream Crew were preparing to set off. Ryuen was curious—without Shiryu of the Rain's help, how would Blackbeard escape?
They planned to split into two groups. Ryuen, Nami, and Daisy would head to Impel Down, while the others would sail toward Marine Headquarters.
…
After some time, a messenger bird flew into the villa and handed a note to Ryuen.
"Let's go. It's time to move," Ryuen said after reading it, standing up.
"Then let's hurry!" Sugar said excitedly.
The three of them stepped outside. Ryuen immediately transformed into his full beast form, carrying Nami and Sugar as they flew toward Impel Down.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew rushed to the harbor, setting sail on the Dream toward Marine Headquarters.
Inside the villa, only Robin and Reina remained.
"Reina, shall we go study?" Robin asked with a smile.
"Yeah!"
"Robin!" Reina beamed with joy.
She loved spending time with this knowledgeable and kind older sister. Being around Robin always made her feel at ease.
…
Impel Down.
Thanks to the combined intelligence of Kuro and Sabo, they had managed to enter the prison without much trouble.
At that moment, Warden Magellan was on Level 7. He had already arranged for Ace to be transferred, and now it was time to deal with Shiryu.
"Shiryu, are you planning to betray the World Government?" Magellan asked in a deep voice, standing outside the cell.
"Of course not. I'm the warden of Impel Down, after all," Shiryu replied casually.
"I hope you're not lying to me."
---
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